Sunday, January 13, 2008

I'm a maniac

A maniac . . . for maille! Yup, today I qualify as a maille maniac. I cut some itty bitty 1.75 mm rings from 22 gauge wire and wove them into the beginnings of a Jens Pind chain. These rings worked up into a very fine chain; it was, surprisingly, not that hard to weave; but cutting the rings without slicing myself was a real challenge.

I had to slow down. I'm not good about slowing down; I usually have two speeds: fast and faster. My lack of patience is legendary. But this chain is worth cultivating both. It's going to take awhile before I have a completed piece of jewelry at this size; I've had enough for today, and my chain is a mere 6 cm long. But it's so pretty! It will be well worth several days of work.

I started making maille about a year ago; it was something I'd always wanted to do, but I found it so very frustrating to learn on my own. I could not hold onto two pairs of pliers without hurting someone; and I flung rings across the room with abandon, sometimes even by accident. It was, to say the least, very frustrating. And then, a brilliant designer and very special friend, Jennifer Casady, walked me through creating my first piece, one little baby step at a time.

She even managed to convince me that aspect ratio was a necessary thing to consider. So I dedicate this one to you, Jen; however long it takes!

No comments: